My one and only
by SweetCinderella
Summary: Mihawk lands on a deserted island, is injured and faints. When he wakes up, a face he does not know has saved his life. She wasn't like the others. She was... Different. They fight to be accepted as they leave the island, but the battle is mindbreaking..
1. The worlds greatest swordsman

Uhm, so... Yeah! :D This is my first fanfic, the pairing is MihawkxOC. So... Uhm, well, im actually Swedish and just 14 ._.' So please go easy on me x3 I don't have that much more to say... Well then I wont! Read and enjoy :D

It all went to fast, even for him. The giant swung his hand and got a surprise slap on Mihawk's already injured body. They had been fighting as the new shichibukai talked to the giant, saying they should get rid of the old shichibukai giving the new world a chance. His name was Ryuzari Maki, and played all his cards dirty as he slowly got Kuma to agree with him. They had been attacking Mihawk and caught him by surprise, and Kuma didn't use all his power. But as Mihawk by accident scratched his bible he had been charging against him with incredible speed.

Ryuzari was the one who took Doflamingo's place as he disappeared. Nobody knew what happened to him, or where he took off. But the marines searched everywhere after him for over two years without result. So the simply decided to let someone else take his place. Mihawk was still confused by why he simple left. He must have had a reason for doing so.

The mans hand hit him spot on and sent him flying so fast he had to cling to his hat and robe. He felt a wound aching on his chest, and saw how blood dropped away in the wind as he flew. His face expression was still the same as always though. It was painful to be beaten, but his face never changed. People thought he was numb.

He felt himself become more sleepy as he lost blood. He didn't want to sleep. He couldn't really do anything, he would just fly for three days and three nights if the saying was true. Three days and three nights. He could be way out of grandline before he landed.

–

"Ugh..." she groaned as she felt the sun burn in her eyes. Her mouth was dry and tasted like salt. She turned from her back to her stomach and coughed up water and blood into the sand. Where was she? She looked up, seeing nothing but giant trees reaching for the sky. The beach was wide and covered with pure white sand, and she tried hard to get to her feet.

She was shaking. They waves had easily ripped off the oversized coat she got from the marines on their ship, but she didn't really think it was so bad to get out of there once in a while. They were... Nice, I guess but they were not very fun to be around. They just did chores all day long, unless when they ate. And when the real navigator took a sleep for just ten minutes, the ship managed to sail into the calm belt. She thanked God for not letting any seamonsters eat her alive.

She was only there to make some extra money as a worker. She didn't consider herself as a marine at all, since all she did was the jobs that nobody else had time to do. Like scrub the deck, cook, help the injured and so on. She stood up on her shaking legs, and saw a path leading into the forest. The forest was thick and green, and when those trees was that big she didn't want to know what kind of weird monsters that lived in there.

She walked towards the path, dragging her feet in the sand. Her shoes were wet and not very comfortable, so she took them off and carried them. Even if this should be the last thing to care about, she hoped she would find a shower so that her hair wouldn't get all salty. On the marine ship they always offered her a shower. They also wanted to help her dress.

Her feet were covered with sand and dust from the forest path, and her red hair was wet but drying. She wore a blue linen and a short shirt along with a pair of very high socks she got from a young marine. She had a cap too, but it fell of and she didn't bother saving it. She wanted to save her own life instead.

The forest was filled with life as she herd birds sing, and felt the fresh scent of flowers flow through the air. The sun was peeking in through the green leaves and it turned out to be a very nice place. She came across rocks shaped like leaves, something she thought was very cool. She picked up some and placed them in her shoes. The soil was soft and very nice towards her feet, so she didn't take her shoes on.

The castle grew bigger as she approached it, seeing the grey brick wall rise high above the ground. It looked old and abandoned since all the flowers around it had withered in this very nice climate. The gigantic door into the castle was place on top a set of stairs, and all this walking had made her legs hurt. She wasn't in the mood for climbing stairs, but what other choice did she had?

Once at the top, she panted and knocked on the door. She herd the echo inside, but not an answer. Maybe this place was abandoned after all? she thought and sighted. Now what? She sat down and leaned against the door. She had to go back to the beach and see if she could find a boat, or maybe spot a ship and grab their attention.

She was shocked as the door opened with a loud crack, and she fell backwards against the hard cement floor. She didn't want to walk barefoot on this cold floor, she thought and poured the rocks out of her shoes. They were still wet and a bit sandy, but still better than nothing.

"Hello?" she shouted into the hall, hoping to hear someone call back. But all she herd was the echo of her own voice.

She was very afraid of the dark, and didn't like the thought of walking around in a giant dark castle very much. She opened the door to the fullest, so that all the light that could would shine in and lit up the path. It was a deep hall with torches hanging on the wall. They were covered with a beautiful spiderweb, and a red carpet was on the floor. It hadn't been walked on for quite a while. She walked up to where the castle spread into to different ways, but what caught her eye was the size of everything in here.

A drawer was placed as a decoration in one of the halls, and it seemed to be oddly big. It wasn't big if you compered to the hall, but it was big to her. It seemed a bit oversized, just like the rest of the castle. This discovery made her walk further into the castle. It was just a long hall that lead to a staircase, and the steps seemed bigger than usual. Something that didn't surprise her as she thought this entire building was oversized.

She wandered into a room that was lit up by the pale sunlight as it filtered through the old windows. It was a big, beautiful room decorated with statues, a high ceiling with murals on it and chandeliers hanging from it. Even if they were old and covered with dust and spiderweb they still glistened slightly in the sunlight.

Her eyes were dancing around the room just as if she had found a treasure, this was lovely! In the middle was of course a very large and long table, and the chairs were bigger then her. The ones living here must have been giants, she thought. She saw another big door in the end of the room, and couldn't help but opening it. It lead out to a very large balcony that had an outstanding view. It showed the forest from above the treetop, the blue ocean and the sky that was lit up by the sun. It felt good having the bright sun warm you after you had been walking around an a very grey castle. There was also a giant paw print on it. But she didn't really think it was odd after seeing this castle.

She turned back into the castle, trying hard to find something that looked like a bedroom. After walking around in the halls, the end of it had a door on it. She reached for the handle and pulled it open. She was met by a very big bed in the middle of the room, and a window on each side of it. A pale white drawer was to her right, a next to that another door. The bed was two steps up on a little 'scene' and it looked very nice. There was a full body mirror next to a closet and it had old pictures stuck in the frame.

She walked over to the second door, and it led into a bathroom. The sink was beautiful and the tap was made out of gold. The bathtub was also white and had a old, pink shower curtain hanging from the ceiling. The tiles on the floor was lightly purple and she was shocked that nobody lived here. This was a castle built to fit a royalty!

She then came to think of the pictures hanging on the mirror. She ran out of the bathroom and grabbed them all. There was eleven pictures, so she sat down on the bed looking on them. The first picture showed a beautiful woman with a long dress, and her hair was curly and black. She was standing in the forest, and had a smile painting her lips.

The next one was the same woman with a man, and he was probably one of those who lived here. He was at least one and a half meter taller than her, but held her lovingly in his arms. They both smiled towards the camera, and looked so happy together. She knew that she had seen that man before. Somewhere. But where? He was wearing a black tuxedo, and his hair was short. The pictures was black and white, and made it harder.

Then she herd a noise bounce from wall to wall, into the room. She gasped and looked up, but it was all quiet. She put the pictures away, and slowly walked out of the room. She tried to be as quiet as possible, but gasped again as there was smoke on the balcony. The ran over, just to see what it was and found someone lying there. At least she knew who this was. This was Hawkeye Mihawk, the famous shichibukai and the worlds greatest swordsman.

Mihawk's eyes shot open. Every single part of his body was aching like if someone pounded on the with a hammer. His chest was poorly wrapped with a white fabric that was ripped from a tablecloth or something. He was lying on something soft, and had to force himself into a sitting position in order to see were he was. The room was quite big, and he was lying on the bed in the middle of the room. He saw his robe on a hook on the wall, and his hat too. His sword was place neatly in the arms of a little girl.

She was sitting with her back against the wall, her head down as he herd her calm breaths. She was sleeping. He felt hungry, but noticed a plate with a steak on it next to his bed. He studied the girl as he reached for the plate. He didn't eat it, how could he know it wasn't poisoned? But of the look of her, he couldn't suspect something like that. She was obviously just what she looked like. A little girl.

Her hair was red and a bit frizzy. She had the sword wrapped in another cloth, and held it tight. He could guess why. She would wake up if he tried to grab it. She was afraid he might kill her. He looked down at the steak. His stomach growled after the long and painful light, and he couldn't take it anymore. He picked it up with his hands and started to eat. It tasted good, and he ate it all up fast. He wanted more, but his body was still aching and he didn't know where the kitchen was.

When he thought of it, he didn't know where he was at all. He looked at the girl again. He didn't want to wake her up. The best would be to just get his stuffs and leave. But that wouldn't be possible if he tried to pull his sword out from her grip. He was injured and the ache was affecting his ability to think clearly. He felt like sleeping. And since he didn't have any escape plan, and the knowledge of that she wouldn't be able to hurt him, he leaned back and tried to get some sleep.

But there was no way he could go back to sleep. The pain was unbearable so he sat up again. He leaned his back towards the wall, looking at the sleeping girl again. His eyes were caught by the sparkling drops on her face. Was she awake? Or did she really, cry in her sleep? Her once so calm breathing was now a shaky way to breathe. He cocked his head slightly, but just closed his eyes. Who was she? Why did she take care of him? If she knew who he was, she must've been very brave to even touch him, or his sword.

Her breaths were more shaking now, and he opened his eyed to see her tighten the grip around his sword. She was crying. But she wasn't awake though. If she were, she would hug something less sharp than his sword. She was shaking and hugging his sword tighter. He saw how the cloth was slowly falling down, and exposed the sharp blade right next to her face.

"Hey, wake up." Mihawk herd himself say, and she immediately woke up. She looked up and placed her hand before her mouth in a surprised gesture. Her eyes were red, swollen and wet. She quickly got to her feet and made a low cry as she cut her face on the way up. Mihawk didn't know what could've triggered this kind of reaction. She placed her hand on the wound, running into the bathroom. Mihawk saw her standing in front of the mirror, but then she closed the door. Now was his chance.

He tried to get up, but he started to shake as he pushed his injured body too far. But he kept going, and walked over to his robe and placed the hat on his head. He felt how the wound on his chest ripped open, and the cloth was slowly becoming red. He felt sweaty and weak, put picked up his sword and dashed through the door. The hall was long, and with doors along the side. But his vision became a bit blurry as he lost blood. He crashed into the wall, and fell helpless to the floor.

He felt how the room was spinning, and then saw how the girl bended down over him. Her eyes were still a bit red, and the wound on the cheek was still bleeding. But she helped him up on his feet, and he could barely see anything before passing out again the last thing he herd was her voice, saying:

"Don't worry, I'll treat you." she said before his vision became black once again.

"Hey, why'd you run off like that? You're hurt." he herd her whine and saw her as he opened his eyes. She was sitting on the bed just beneath him, and this time she had her wound badly treated. Just a small band-aid to cover a small piece of it.

"I can't stay here." he replied and gave her a chilling look. She didn't even shiver before she pouted her lips and answered.

"But Im the only doctor in miles, you'll die before you get treatment! And I don't want you to go dying on me." she said seriously and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Do you know who I am?" he then asked and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Yeah, who doesn't."

"Then why do you want to save me?" he asked her but she just kept giving him that look.

"Nobody deserves to die. I'd be a horrible person to leave you here to die." she said and frowned.

"I have to leave." he said again and closed his eyes.

"No, you can't! You're hurt, and you have to realize that!" she said and leaned forward.

She had a point. He could barely run through a hall before passing out. Maybe he should stay until he was healthy enough to walk.

"Why did you act so strange when you woke up?" he said and lightly tilted his head. She looked up with big eyes, and then looked away. This was probably a sensitive area. She looked sad, but then just tried to mutter the question away.

"N-nothing... You scared me, that's all." she said quietly and fingered her hand.

"You were crying. In your sleep. Bad dream?" he asked with a sound of tease in his voice.

"That's none of your business."

"Im going to stay until I can walk and get off this island. That might take a while, considering how far I got on my first try. If you're gonna cry every night you'd better tell me." he said with the same face he had been wearing for years.

"I don't want to talk about it, okay? It's just..." she started out but bit her lip and stopped. She wanted to tell him. She just wanted to tell someone, but she didn't want him to see her like a crybaby. She'd rather live with it then having people around her to see her like weak.

"Tell me your name then." he said and changed the subject.

"Juni." she answered and felt relief as he changed the subject. She really didn't want to talk about it, even if she wanted to get if off her shoulders.


	2. Afraid of the dark

Another day passed. Juni had found some meat deeply frozen in the kitchen, and it wasn't that bad. But she had to go hunting if she wanted some more. After some cleaning the kitchen was ready to use, even if it already was in a pretty good shape. It was just a bit dusty. Mihawk was just resting, like he should be doing. But Juni could see that he was getting bored.

She had been bringing him her hardest riddles, but he solved them over a cup of tea. And to Juni's happiness the shower was working! She only had one pair of clothes though, but she had found and old dress in the closet. Mihawk hadn't smiled, neither had he frowned. He just looked the same. The same, cold expression seemed to be locked to his face. It's kind of sad, Juni thought. You get a bit to serious when you hang out with someone like that.

His wound was healing slowly though. It was deep, and filled with dirt she had to wash out. But he never changed the face expression, even if she was digging through his chest with something sharp. She had found a medical room, but left Mihawk in her room. She had been sleeping on the windowsill, since it was covered with soft cushions and was still very big like the rest of the castle.

Mihawk hadn't been sleeping that much. He had stayed up, listening to Juni's low sobbing. She was sleeping, but was still crying. Every night, she cried. But she pretended like if nothing happened. It was insane to have a stranger clean your wound, but he had to admit that she was very good at it. She had her long, red hair tightly tied up in a knot every time she did that, and it made her look very grown up.

Mihawk didn't really want to admit it, but he wanted to know why she was crying every night. She always seemed to be so jolly and wasn't really threatened by him, but at night she was so weak and vulnerable. This was a case much harder to solve then the riddles she gave him so that he wouldn't be bored. He thought about it all the time almost.

Juni came out of the bathroom with the old dress she had found in the closet. It was washed and dried, and was now glowing with a white glow. Mihawk stared at her as she came out of the room, gracefully walking over to the mirror. Mihawk studied her as she turned around to look at herself from different angles. He had to admit, that dress suited her. She looked very... Beautiful. It was a nice change from the blue linen and short skirt.

She looked very classy with the dress, she thought that. It was the same dress that the woman had been wearing on the picture. The pictures had been stuffed into a drawer, next to a tuxedo that probably belonged to the taller man. She hadn't been looking at the other pictures, she had been careful not to let Mihawk try another foolish escape. He was just going to bleed to death.

"What do you think?" she then asked him and made a little pirouette. The dress flapped as she turned quickly, and Mihawk's eyes were studying the girl.

"It's very nice." he had to admit, and she smiled towards him.

Smiled.

This was the very first time that happened. Mihawk felt how something unknown bubbled up inside of him. He did not know this feeling from before. She hadn't smiled towards him before, but it suited her to do so. She looked... Happy, and Mihawk couldn't understand how. She was on the same unknown and uninhabited island as a dangerous shichibukai, she knew who he was and how sharp his sword was yet she smiled. Mihawk didn't find any reason for her to smile.

"Why thank you. You want something?" she then asked and grabbed the tray of dishes.

"No thank you." he answered, just for the sake of being polite. She nodded and then walked out of the room. He sighted and then tried to figure out what just happened. She smiled. And he... He felt warm. She was so nice, and not to mention stubborn but she was still very... Beautiful. Mihawk had been struggling not to touch her when she was so fragile during night, just like if she was made out of porcelain.

Why was he feeling like this all of a sudden? Why was she so appealing to him?

Juni saw that Mihawk's wound was healing up nicely, and decided to take him for a walk. He could need a bit of fresh air. But she stayed next to him all the way, afraid he might try something. The forest was calm and peaceful, or at least for a while. A flock of what looked like big squirrels came flying in the air over the path, making a high squeak as they seemed to be afraid of something.

Juni also noticed how the shapes of birds became visible in the sky. What was happening. Mihawk just stopped, looking around. Juni looked at him, but didn't say a word. Then Juni felt how the ground started to rumble slightly. It became louder, and now Juni had to keep steady in order not to fall.

"What is that!" Juni shouted and Mihawk turned towards her. Her answer came quickly.

A white wolf, bigger than a elephant leaped across the road and left a giant paw print where it landed. It didn't see them though, and Juni sighted with relief.

"Quick, run. Wolves never hunt alone" Mihawk said and Juni ran. But when she tried to drag Mihawk with her, he didn't budge.

"Come on!" she shouted, as the rumbling shook the ground once more. Mihawk turned and thought there was no point fighting without his sword. Juni was running to slow, and the wolves path was too wide for her to get away.

The other wolves were grey and leaped out of the forest, and Juni saw one appear right besides her. Her eyes shot open as she covered her head with her arms, hoping that it wouldn't fall on her. Juni then felt how arms caught her legs and back, picking her up with ease and running away faster than what she could imagine. Mihawk saved her. He was looking straight forward with the same look on his face, and didn't say anything as he ran.

Juni looked back, seeing that one of the wolves turned their look to them. She gasped, and made Mihawk turn his head towards them. Now they were chasing after them! Juni thought for sure that this was the end, but Mihawk picked up speed and ran faster. She buried here face in his shoulder, as she didn't want to see what happened next. She herd the loud barking behind them, and felt the warm breath from the beast as they threw their jaws after them.

Juni was scared to death when Mihawk made it to the door, and kicked it open. He ran in without closing, since he still had Juni in his arms. She was shocked, and this wasn't over yet. The wolves were big, but nimble enough to make inside the castle. They crawled fast through the narrow corridor, and Mihawk ran upstairs. The staircase stopped them as it was way to narrow, and they barely got their noses in. Mihawk herd their barking, and started to walk towards the room where his sword was.

He gently slipped Juni out of his grip, and she looked gratefully into his golden eyes. They looked so sharp, just like she imagined they would. She herd the loud barking echo from the staircase, and she closed the door to it just in case. Mihawk was halfway through the hallway when his chest began to hurt. He felt how the warm blood started to ooze out of the wound. He had put to much pressure on himself. He cursed himself for being weak, as he her Juni approach behind him.

"Thank you for saving me- Are you alright?" she started out but interrupted herself. He gave her a quick look before answering.

"Yeah, im fine." he said and started to walk again, with his hand on the wound.

"No you're not!" she complained and forced his arm on to her shoulder. She helped him over to the bed where he sat down, taking his hat off. Juni quickly leaped over to the drawer, pulling out some bandages and something to wipe away the blood with. She knew what happened. The wound opened as he pushed himself to far.

"Can you take off the robe?" she asked him and without a word he did as she said. The bandages were slowly revealing a small bloodstain, and she carefully removed the bandages. The wound was much larger than what Juni was used to treat. She usually treated smaller cuts or bruises, but never such a big and open soar. Mihawk seemed to be totally undisturbed, even if she knew this was hurting him.

"You know, you can stop with the pokerface. It's annoying." Juni said as she rolled out a little bit of the new bandages. She started to wrap it around Mihawk's injured chest.

"What do you mean?" Mihawk said and slightly tilted his head.

"You haven't changed your face expression since I met you. It's not normal." Juni said without facing him. He looked down at her, realizing she was right. He hadn't.

"Does it really other you that much?" he then asked, giving her the usual look.

"Yes, in fact, it does." she then said and Mihawk had to admit that he was surprised by that answer.

"Why is that then?"

"Because its hard to smile when the one you smile at doesn't smile back." Juni said and stood up from the bed. She opened the drawer again, taking out a scissor. She cut the bandage and Mihawk was surprised by her speed as she gathered the stuff and placed them in the drawer.

"I'll go and prepare dinner. You have to rest." she said with a straight face, and walked out of the room closing the door after her. Mihawk thought of the things she said to him. Its hard to smile when nobody smiles back. He hadn't been thinking of that before. I guess that's because... I never smile, he thought and lowered his head.

He liked to see her smile, although he had only seen it once. Do you deserve to see a smile when you smile at someone? He couldn't realize that probably everyone but him knew this all by themselves. Maybe he should try smiling at her, so that she would smile at him? He stood up and walked over to the mirror. His chest was covered with the new bandages, and his lavender trousers a bit dirty. He met his own face, seeing nothing but a stiff gaze. He tried to force his lips into a smile, but he couldn't make it look as... Good, as Juni could.

Maybe he wasn't cut out for smiling... But when he saw Juni he really wanted to. Maybe he should let himself sometime?

"Okay, I hope you're not to picky about food." Juni said as Mihawk walked out into the big dining room. He took a seat were a plate had been placed and looked at Juni.

"Im not that good a cook, you see." she said with a giggle. She smiled again. Mihawk tried, but couldn't smile back.

"Im sure its fine." The least he could do was to give her a compliment. She smiled even wider and jumped up on the chair.

The dinner was quiet, but the smallest noises like the sound of a fork against the plate echoed throughout the room. It wasn't that bad, if you consider the fact that it was made out of seagulls Juni managed to get her hands on.

"Im thinking about looking around in the other rooms, seeing if I could find some clothes or maybe some thread and needles so I could sew some. This suit is kinda worn out." Juni suddenly said, making Mihawk look up from his plate.

"What about the dress? It suits you." Mihawk herd himself say before taking another bite. Juni blushed, and Mihawk found it very cute.

It was so odd, feeling like this. Thinking of someone he just met as cute, and even willing to break his face habit just so he could see her smile. But it wasn't a bad feeling, it was just odd.

"No, I mean its nice and all but I like casual." Juni said and tried to hide her blushing cheeks.

"And you could need a t-shirt or something." she said and nodded towards him.

"Juni..." Mihawk suddenly said as it came into his mind.

"You did what I thought you would." Mihawk said and looked seriously at her. That wasn't very hard though, since his face was serious at all times.

"Did what?"

"Cry every night." Mihawk answered quickly and she turned away.

Mihawk saw the pained face expression, and almost felt stupid for saying that. She sighted.

"Do you really want to know?" she then asked and looked very sad. Mihawk just nodded as he set his fork down.

"You'll think im weak, I know that... But I'll tell you. It still feels like I owe you one after the wolf incident." she said and gave him a forced smile.

"I cry every night, in my sleep because... I feel lonely. Like if there's nobody out there who cares for me, like its me against the world. Im just scared, afraid that... They'll take me too." she started out and looked down.

"Who?" Mihawk asked and caught himself bending forward.

"Them. They. Call them whatever you want. We always used to call them... The dark. They took my family away from me, and left me here alone. I had to flee to the Otherworld, where I didn't know anyone. Everyone looked at me like if I was an alien, they called me names and weren't nice at all. That's when the nightmares began." she said and took a deep breath.

"I saw them. I saw my family. They all cried for help. But I was too weak. The darkness devoured our world. Only I survived. I had rather died there than lived a life in misery. But still I wanted to live..." Her eyes were filling up with tears.

"I want to save them. I lived. The one who survived. They depend on me, but Im..." she started out and bit her lip.

"Afraid of the dark." Mihawk filled in and she looked up at him.

"Yes... Im such a jerk. I shouldn't let a fear take me over. My entire family is trapped and captured by the dark, and I can't save them just because Im scared!" she broke out in tears, before standing up from the chair.

"Im sorry, I can't... Not here..." she suddenly whispered, and Mihawk tilted his head.

"They could be listening." she whispered once more and looked around the big room.

"They're the dark. They could be anywhere." she then said and quickly walked away. Mihawk looked after her.

"Juni!" he the shouted, getting of the chair and following her. She had been walking into the room where they slept, and was sitting on the windowsill. Tears were still pouring down her cheeks and she sobbed loudly.

"Juni." Mihawk said and gave her a serious look. She turned towards him. He felt like if someone ripped him apart when he saw her devastated gaze.

"I shouldn't have... I shouldn't..."she cried, but Mihawk walked up to her and carefully let his hand wipe away her tears. She looked surprised, but Mihawk was more surprised himself by his actions. It was something he wasn't used to, but it still felt right.

"You don't have to talk about it anymore. I understand." Mihawk said and lowered his hand. She gave him a smile, and by the look on her face she looked relived. It looked like a huge weight had been lifted of her shoulders.

"Thank you." she said and gave him an insecure hug. He was a bit surprised but hugged her back. She was shaking slightly, and her warm breath felt good in his neck. He felt her skinny body against his and noticed how big these clothes were on her.

She was so small and Mihawk didn't dare to hold her harder. He was afraid he might hurt her. But she let go after a while but they still had their hands on their shoulders. They both wanted to say something, but couldn't seem to find the right words. But Juni finally broke the awkward silence.

"Im tired."

It wasn't very much to say, but Mihawk let go of her, against his will. She switched position and laid down on the windowsill, as Mihawk walked towards the door.

"You can use the bed. I'll clean." he said and nodded towards the bed. Juni looked surprised but didn't complain as she buried herself in the big, cozy bed. Mihawk walked out to the dining room, and started to clean off the table. The windows were letting in a dim light that was very calming, and the birds song made that feeling stronger.

Mihawk walked away to the kitchen with the dishes, and thought about Juni. She had told him, even though she was uncomfortable talking about it. Does that mean she... Trusts him? He washed off a plate, and as he saw his reflecting he had to double check if he saw clearly. And he did. He thought of Juni, and he had reacted without noticing it. He was smiling, as the thoughts went to that special girl.

Juni was sleeping when he returned, he noticed that by the dull sobbing that spread across the room. He sat down on the bed, looking at her as tears fell to the pillow. She was having the same horrible nightmare... Every night. How could she live like this? They were horrible enough to make her cry while sleeping, and yet she refuses to give up. He felt horrible as he saw her cry. He laid down besides her, looking at her face and felt her shaking breaths as she slept.

Don't cry, he thought and hoped that she would hear his wish.

Please, don't cry, he thought again and felt that ripping feeling as another tear fell. He embraced her with both arms, hoping that she would stop. He couldn't rest when she was like this.

You're not alone, Juni. You don't have to be sad. You're not alone.


	3. His reason

:D Im sorry I haven't written anything lately... I've been awfully busy. All the homework, projects and stuffs like that... And I've been away, too. But now im back and here is the new chapter!

Juni woke up the next morning, trying to turn around. But something seemed to hold her in place. She blushed like crazy when she realized who it was.

Mihawk was hugging her while his eyes were closed, and she couldn't believe it. He... Does he not like it when she cries? Was that the reason he wanted to know what triggered it? It didn't feel bad after all...

But still. He was a shichibukai, and a great pirate and swordsman. She had been cursing herself for what happened. As she took care of him, and was forced to see him every day she... She fell in love. She had fallen for his stiff, emotionless face. But she knew that they couldn't be meant to be. But this felt so right...

Mihawk opened his eyes, and Juni twitched a little by how fast he woke up.

"You stopped." he said quietly, and at first Juni was confused. Then she knew what he meant.

"I did?" she then asked him. He gave her a nod, and she managed to get her hand to her face. Her cheeks were dry. They hadn't been dry on a morning for years. They were always soaked in salty tears. At first, she had no idea how that could have happened.

But when she looked into Mihawk's sharp eyes it all became clear. He didn't want her to cry. He thought that if she cried because she's alone, maybe she'll stop if I make her feel like there's someone there. And she felt all weird because for all these years, she had been alone. But not now. Not anymore. She felt how tears of joy started to fall from her eyes as she gave him a smile, that showed just how grateful she was.

And he smiled back. Juni had never seen him smile, and she wasn't sure if anyone else had either, but he looked so different when smiling. He looked... Happy. He held a bit closer and she didn't struggle. This was a new feeling. For both of them. They just laid there as the sun's first rays lit up the room, and they didn't say anything. Word's weren't enough.

Mihawk was still smiling as she crawled closer, resting her head towards his chest. She was awake, he knew that and she knew that he wasn't sleeping either. But they didn't care. Mihawk felt really happy, something he hadn't been since he was a child. Juni... She was really something. She wasn't weak. She was strong. To fight the demons that haunt you every night in your head, and you can't get them out. Any other regular person would have killed themselves instead of suffering through this.

But Juni fought. She refused to loose the war within her. And now she had won. With someone she just met by her side. Even if they would still consider each other strangers, they trusted each other as nobody was there to judge them. People would probably think this was wrong, but Juni wouldn't agree. This felt right. And she trusted herself when it came to that decision.

As they had been lying there for a while, Juni wanted to go up and see if she could find some clothes. Mihawk followed her of course. To be honest, he had a hard time leaving her alone. They looked through chests, wardrobes and drawers without any progress. All they found was a little pocketwatch, with the picture of a beautiful woman inside. Juni recognized her. She was the owner of the dress and the same woman from the pictures she saw earlier.

She hadn't shown them to Mihawk, so he didn't know who she was as he opened the dusty clock.

"Hey, that's the girl who owns the dress!" Juni said as she saw the picture Mihawk was staring at.

"Who?" he said and looked at her, and she gave him a goofy smile. She was so cute.

"Oh, right. You haven't seen the pictures. Take that with you, I'll show them." Juni said and opened the big door and left. Mihawk walked besides her through the hallway as she ranted about the pictures.

"There was a man... He was really tall, so I guess this castle was built for his family or something. The woman on the other hand was normal, and they seemed to be in love. I think there was other pictures as well, but I haven't looked at them properly..." she said and Mihawk opened the door, and she immediately went for the pictures. She grabbed the old pieces of photopaper and hopped onto the bed. Mihawk sat down with the pocketwatch in his hand, looking over Juni's shoulder as she showed the pictures.

"I only looked at these..." she said and handed over the two first pictures. Mihawk studied the pictures and saw that there was no doubt that this was the dress Juni had found. The woman's smile was very vibrant, and she looked so kind. On the picture in the pocketwatch it was a close up photo of her resting her head on her hand, as her curly black hair shaped her face.

Mihawk switched out the pictures and was shocked as he saw the other one.

"Look, here's a picture of those wolves we saw! They seemed to be friends with- Hey, what's wrong?" she said and looked at Mihawk's wide open eyes.

"This picture... Can't you see who this is?" Mihawk said and held out the picture to Juni.

"No... No I can't. I have no idea. Do you know?" she said and cocked her head as she studied the picture a bit closer.

"Yes. That's none other than Donquixote Doflamingo, the shichibukai that disappeared for over two years ago." Mihawk said seriously and Juni's eyes got bigger.

"What? That's him? I knew I had seen his face before..." Juni said as the pieces fell into place. Of course they hadn't found him. Mihawk looked at the picture Juni had found with the wolves, and saw a picture of Doflamingo with his beloved on his lap. The sat beneath a tree and he petted the big, white wolf on the nose. He saw the tail of another grey wolf, and the others in the background. If he had befriended these wolves, they were his protection. And Mihawk didn't even knew where this island were on the map.

It could very well be in the calm belt. That would raise the protection even more. Nobody dared to look in the calm belt, Mihawk remembered overhearing the marines talk.

"Juni, do you have any idea of where this island lays? You know, on map?" he asked the girl, and she looked up from the pictures.

"Yeah, its somewhere in the calm belt. We have to be really lucky if we want to make it out of here, I'll tell you that." Juni said and raised her eyebrows. Mihawk looked down at the picture again.

So, this was your little hideout... You fled from your beloved place as a shichibukai for the sake of a woman? Mihawk thought and looked at the man. He wasn't wearing that flamboyant pink feather coat, and nor did he wear his sunglasses. How could you possibly fall for someone like him? he thought and looked at the woman. She looked so tiny next to the half-giant, but still she looked so safe.

But that was still someone who laughed at a persons death, and only cared for himself. But after looking closer to the picture... It seemed as if he really loved that girl.

"Why do you ask?" Juni said and cocked her head as he looked at her. She was sitting with her legs crossed and her hands between them, and looked like a little child that wanted an answer.

"This was his hideout. He didn't want anyone to get their hands on her." he said and looked at the photo. Juni crawled over to him, leaning over his shoulder and looked at the picture with him.

"How can you know that?"

"Because I feel the same." Mihawk answered and looked at her. She blushed, and Mihawk couldn't help but smiling at her. Yes, he did really feel the same. If anyone would take Juni away from him he wouldn't be able to forgive himself, or the one taking her. All he wanted in this very moment was to have her forever.

"For real?" she then asked, as he moved his face a bit closer hers. She blushed even more as she felt the warm breath of his answer.

"For real." he said and leaned even closer.

Juni closed her eyes as Mihawk's lips gently pressed against hers. He slipped his arms around her, and felt happiness bubble up inside as his lips caressed hers. She was still a bit surprised and embarrassed, but melted into the kiss as Mihawk hugged her closer. She felt his strong hands fondled her waist, and how she felt a warm feeling inside.

When Mihawk then slowly pulled his lips away, Juni felt how her cheeks were still red.

"Mihawk..." she started out and tried to say something into his beautiful eyes.

"Please, Juni. Its Dracule." he said and gave her a tender look before kissing her forehead. She crawled closer and rested her head on his chest, hearing the calm and settled heartbeats.

Even if none of them ever said so, Juni knew that they had developed some kind of relationship together. Mihawk, or as he wanted her to call him, Dracule, was turning out to be a very sweet, loving man that Juni never thought he would be. He always had his arms around him at night, and actually smiled at her now and then. When she saw this angle of him she liked what she saw, instead of fearing it.

She looked into the mirror that hung over the sink, and came to think of something. It was tall, but hung very low down just as the sink. Maybe Doflamingo thought about that woman, and how she was going to reach it. This castle was renovated, without destroying its old fashion charm. He couldn't be such a bad man if he thought so much about her.

She wrapped the towel a bit closer around her, before stepping out of the bathroom. The air felt cold and fresh, not damp like in the bathroom. The warm air escaped and she walked over to the bed where she had left her clothes. Mihawk said he wanted to make lunch for once. She dropped the towel and took up the linen, and sighted as she looked at it. It was washed, but still... She was tired of it.

She threw it back on the bed, tipping over to the closet. She opened the big chocolate colored door and looked at the dress. It was very nice. She picked it out and slipped in to it. It was a bit tight, so she spent a moment thinking about how thin that woman must have been. But she didn't care very much though, as she still managed to fit in the dress.

Juni brushed her long, red and wet hair as she studied herself in the mirror. The dress suited her, that wasn't a lie. But she had to hold her stomach in so that she would look a bit more glamorous. Mihawk knocked on the door, and slowly opened it to make sure he didn't catch her naked. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable. She was standing in front of the mirror with a hairbrush in her hand, and he felt himself getting warm inside as he saw her beautiful shapes.

Juni still had a hard time calling Mihawk Dracule, even though that was his name. But she still tried her best so that she would break the tension that she still was able to find between them. Mihawk smiled towards her as their eyes met in the mirror, and she looked at him as he walked up by her side.

"You look beautiful." he whispered into her ear, and she felt the blood rush to her cheeks.

He placed his hands on her waist, slowly stroking them, as he rested his head on her shoulder. She placed her hands on his, as they looked at themselves in the mirror. Mihawk was in this very moment staring at something he never thought he would see. He saw himself smiling towards a beautiful lady that he loved, and she was blushing lightly as she smiled back at him.

"Lunch is ready." he then said and broke the silence. He slightly smelled her hair, feeling the fresh scent of roses flow through his nose. This castle was filled with all kinds off stuff, and the shampoo was probably one of those things. Juni turned around and he straightened out his back, looking down on her face as a peach colored smile painted her lips.

They kept quiet as Mihawk held out his hand towards Juni in a graceful way. She gently places her hand in his, and they strolled through the corridor. Mihawk wished that the tuxedos owner hadn't been Doflamingo, as he thought that he could have worn it to look as handsome as Juni. Juni saw the table as he had placed the food on plates that stood on it, and the big wineglasses that was the only glasses they managed to find.

The kitchen had the cabinets very high up, so Juni hadn't let Dracule climb a chair to look after other glasses. And Juni had to admit her other big fear: heights.

That's right. Dracule.

His name was very cute, and suited him perfectly. He sat down on the chair against her and made a gesture towards her that said: here you go.

They ate in silence as as sudden melody flowed through the castle. They both stopped in their motions as they listened to the low, calming music that came from downstairs. Juni could remember hearing similar tunes as a child, and knew where the sound came from.

"A music box...?" she whispered and looked at Dracule. He looked just as confused as her, but had an idea.

He quickly stepped into the bedroom, grabbing his sword. He walked towards the staircase, having Juni right behind him. She was very careful not to step on the dress as she walked. Dracule held the sword ready for any kind of danger that might lurk in the lower halls. Dracule's eyes shot open, and so did Juni's. In the hall was nothing but sleeping wolves, and a tall gesture rising above them. He's so tall... Juni thought and stared at the person standing there with the low sound of the music box echoing through the hall.

Dracule raised his sword, and the figure let out a rumbling chuckle. He was only sure of two things: this guy has been here before, and it ain't Doflamingo.

"Oh, there's actually someone here. It hasn't been people here for a long time now." the man said with a very low pitch voice. He picked something out of his pocket, and pushed away a brick in the wall. Dracule herd low clicking noises before the big torches on the wall all lit up. The man was tall and had a big, grey mustache. He was wearing a black vest on top of a white shirt, and a pair of black pants.

"Do you mind to be a bit quiet though? These wolfs aren't that great playmates." the man said and started walking towards them. Dracule lowered his sword. Who was this guy?

"Hehe. But they fall asleep to the sound of music. Im Kunoken, by the way." he said and held his big palm out to Dracule. He grabbed it and shook it lightly. The man looked very old as wrinkles was visible in his face. He straightened out his back, and walked passed them casually as he walked up the stairs.

Juni stared at the big, white wolf that was closest to the stairs, and quickly slid past it to follow the tall man, who's name was Kunoken.

"Ah, this brings back memories." he said as Juni found him looking around the room. He turned towards the pair, looking a bit surprised as Juni realized she was wearing the dress.

"Well, my my! You look just as beautiful as the owner of that dress." he said with a big smile.

"Sit down, would you?" Dracule then asked him. Juni had so many questions to ask that man right now, and it seemed like Dracule had question for him as well.

"Of course. I see you were in the middle of lunch." he said and looked at the plates that still was on the table. He sat down, and Dracule and Juni sat down on the chair across him.

"Go on, I know that you have many questions." he then said to Juni's surprise.

"Okay... Then first of all, who are you?" Dracule asked with a serious face.

"Im Jabra Kunoken, the butler of those who used to live here. But of course, they died many years ago. They wanted me to stay here, but it was awfully hard to live here all alone. But people came, and I was very surprised since this island is placed in the calm belt itself! But... They had to leave, during... Not so good circumstances." he said, and Juni was surprised by his honesty.

I mean, this is not a story you would be able to come up with as you go along.

"Who was the others? Not the one living here first, the others." Dracule asked and crossed his arms as he leaned back in the chair.

"Oh, they? They were Count Doflamingo and Lady Beverly themselves. They were such a pair..." he said and closed his eyes smiling. Juni could see how Dracule was getting more and more interested as she knew that Dracule wanted to know about that Doflamingo.

"Why did they leave? Where did they go?" he asked as they got more secure of what he was saying was the truth.

"Im sorry... Im afraid that's a secret." he said and Juni saw how Dracule frowned.

"Why are you here, anyways? And how in the world did you get here?" Juni then asked to get some of her own questions answered.

"Me? Oh, im just here to see if... If they had returned. You see, the count made that promise to me and lady Beverly. He knew that I had nowhere else to go since Im born and raised on this island. I come here each month just to check. I didn't expect another shichibukai and his wife though." he said and smiled lightly. Juni blushed by the word wife, and she noticed how Dracule blushed a bit as well.

"You grew up here? But there are no other houses, right?" Dracule asked with his arms still crossed across his bandage covered chest.

"Oh, there were! But they all got lost in a war a long time ago. Those who lived in this castle wanted to rebuild the population, but were too old and died before they set their plans into action." he said but Juni wasn't satisfied. She hadn't got her question answered.

"I'll ask you once more; How did you get to this island?" Juni asked a bit irritated. Dracule noticed that and looked at her.

"I flew, of course." he said with a bright smile, like if that was something normal.

"You... Flew? You FLEW here?" Juni asked again, and he nodded.

"You see, as a child, I read a lot of books. One of those was about devilfruits. I read it over and over, being caught by the texts of how amazing they were and the pictures of the oddly shaped fruits. And a pirate ship came by once, only once, and they gave us the cursed fruit. They were all women, and wanted to be able to swim, so they gave it to us so nobody would eat it by mistake. Without even thinking, I ate it, and since that day im able to transform into a dragon. It's a very useful power, when you come and think of it." he said with the same smile he had been wearing since he came.

"So your a dragon man?" Dracule asked and looked at him.

"Yes." he replied. It all made sense now. This was perfect if you wanted to be alone. An island in the middle of the calm belt, with wolves bigger than elephants and a dragon as your butler. Doflamingo didn't want to take a single risk of being discovered. And now, that he's been replaced... He just like any other pirates. The marines are chasing him just like any other pirate.

"You were very close to Doflamingo, right?" Dracule asked and slightly tilted his head. Kunoken looked surprised by the question, but answered it politely.

"Yes, he was a very nice young man. His father used to live here, you know. He had me flying around the island every day to search for marines. He was very afraid that someone would get their hands on lady Beverly. They were very, very in love." he said and smiled.

"Really?" Juni asked and Kunoken nodded as a response. She looked at Dracule and saw him looking back. They were both about to ask the same thing.

"Tell us were they went."

Kunoken was smiling a bit less wide as the question came again. He looked down, but when he saw the young pair he knew it had to be done. He had been flying across other island as he was on his way here. The marines always followed him here, but was stopped by the wolves. They had been sending bigger and bigger forces, and it wasn't going to be long until they saw that he wasn't flying back. Then they would come here.

And if they managed to make it past the wolves, the young shichibukai wouldn't have his lady to himself anymore. Kunoken knew who he was, and he thought the same thing as Doflamingo used to say.

_If I leave this island, people won't leave us alone. They think it's wrong for someone like me to love. And I just want to be somewhere that I and Beverly can be happy together. _

Kunoken sighted, and looked at them again before he started talking.

"The marines took the count away. What happened to lady Beverly... None knows. They never told the media about this. That's why everyone assumes that he disappeared." he said. A short, simple answer was all he could say. It was a very sad moment. He had been parted from those who were like his family, after all.

"The marines? I bet they took him to impel down. That's were all the really bad criminals go if they get caught." Juni said and Kunoken looked up.

"That's the strange part. Count Doflamingo wasn't a bad person at all!" he said almost like If he hadn't seen it coming at all.

"He was a totally different person before he met this lady Beverly, I'll tell you that. He played with other people's life, using his power to make them fight each other while he was laughing as he watched." Dracule said with a cold tone in his voice.

Kunoken sighted.

"Indeed. But that's the funny thing about people. They only see the one you used to be. But we all change... And the count changed as he had lady Beverly by his side. That's a fact we have to accept." Kunoken said and Dracule sunk into his thoughts. He wasn't safe in this world right now either. Ryuzari was going to get rid of him, he and Kuma.

But if he could get Doflamingo back, and Ryuzari happened to loose his life in an 'accident', maybe Doflamingo would get back his spot. He just had to hope that Kuma wouldn't continue to believe in what Ryuzari said. He would fuck up the new world so badly... Dracule thought and frowned. Kunoken was probably thinking the same thing.

"Juni, you said he would be at Impel Down, right?" Dracule asked and looked at her. She looked surprised.

"I didn't say he would be there, I just thought it would be the first option..." Juni said and looked down.

"Why do you ask?" Kunoken asked him as Dracule got to his feet.

"I might remember him a total asshole, but he's still better than that Ryuzari." Dracule said and walked away towards the bedroom.


End file.
